World Anti Doping Agency Urges Ban On All Russian Athletes

A report by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) accuses Russian athletes of doping and sabotaging the 2012 London Olympics.

The WADA blames the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) and the Russian athletics federation (ARAF) of “widespread inaction” and allowing suspected athletes to take part in the games. They want all Russian athletes to be suspended from future competitions including the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“The IC (independent commission) has noted a cumulative lapse of action from the IAAF, ARAF and RUSADA in conjunction with pursuing suspicious profiles,” the report stated.

“As a result of this widespread inaction, the Olympic Games in London were, in a sense, sabotaged by the admission of athletes who should have not been competing, and could have been prevented from competing, were it not for the collective and inexplicable laissez-faire policy adopted by the IAAF, ARAF and RUSADA.”

The WADA report also called on the IAAF to suspend Russia from competition.

The commission stated in its report that it had turned over “considerable data and information” to Interpol regarding its findings “which tends to demonstrate criminal conduct on the part of certain individuals and organisations”.

Lamine Diack

Former IAAF president Lamine Diack is facing provisional suspension as an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee after French police revealed he is under investigation for allegedly receiving more than one million euros to cover up doping.

The IOC ethics commission announced on Monday that it has recommended Diack, who stepped down as IAAF president in August, be provisionally suspended.

The 82-year-old from Senegal is accused of being complicit in a cover-up of doping by Russian athletes.

His son Papa Massata Diack, advisor Habib Cisse and the former IAAF anti-doping chief Gabriel Dolle are also being investigated by French police.

The report found the Russian federation and anti-doping agency to be “non-compliant” with the WADA code and recommended the withdrawal of the Moscow laboratory’s accreditation and the removal of the laboratory’s director.

The report identified corruption and bribery practices “at the highest levels” of the IAAF which it had presented to Interpol, and said there was a “deep-rooted culture of cheating” in Russian athletics.

“Many of the more egregious offenders appear to be coaches who, themselves, were once athletes and who work in connection with medical personnel,” it stated.

“This ‘win-at-all-costs’ mentality was then passed to current athletes, whether willing to participate or not.”

It added that athletes unwilling to enter into cheating were likely to be left without access to top coaches.

The report said that it could confirm allegations made in past media reports that some Russian doctors and laboratory staff “acted as enablers for systematic cheating”.

It confirmed the “intentional and malicious” destruction of more than 1,400 samples by Russian laboratory officials.

The report said Russian law enforcement agencies were also involved in the efforts to interfere with the integrity of samples and the commission had “serious doubts” about the Russian anti-doping agency’s independence from the Russian government’s Ministry of Sport.